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N0. 6I2,8l6. Patented Oct. 25, I898. M. BRILLIANT.

FOLDING SOFA BED.

(Application filed Dec. 3, 1897.)

(NO Model.)

ywayvboz/ NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK BRILLIANT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOl't OF ONE- I-IALFTO F. A. PLAISTED, OF SAME PLACE.

FOLDING SOFA-BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,816, dated October25, 1898. Application filed December 3, 1897. Serial No. 660,652. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARK BRILLIANT, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco, State of California,have invented an Improvement in Folding Sofa-Beds; and I hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to furniture of that class known as folding beds,sofas, chairs, or couches.

It consists, essentially, in the novel combination of parts whereby theapparatus may be folded so as to provide a chair, sofa, or couch ofordinary description for day use and which may be opened out so as toform a bed convenient for reclining purposes.

It also consists. in details of construction, all of which will be morefully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a view of the chair when used as a seat only. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the frame of the chair, being folded up. Fig. 3 showsthe bed in the process of being extended. Fig. 4 shows the bed fullyextended. Fig. 5 is a front View of the arm-frame, showing itsoperation.

A is the frame which forms the seat portion or support of the apparatus.It will be manifest that this seat may be made of any suitable ordesired length to form a chair, as here shown, or, by elongating it, toform a sofa or settee, the connection of the various 'parts beingessentially the same in either case. It is here shown in the form of aneasy chair.

B is the back, which ordinarily stands in an approximately verticalposition, as shown in Fig. 2, and this back is hinged and 0011- nectedwith the seat as follows:

C is a link bent approximately at right angles in the center and havingone end pivoted to the frame A, a's'shown at c, and the other end to theback portion 13, as shown at c. The lower part of the back-frame isslotted on each side, as shown at Z), and this slot extends aconsiderable distance from the lower end of the back. The slots on eachside of the frame B fit and are slidable upon pins D, which extendthrough the rear and elevated portion A of the seat-frame A. The objectof this construction is to provide for the folding of the part B uponthe part A and to so control it while it is 'being thus folded as toprevent such an overbalancing of the weight as to cause it to dropsuddenly.

It will be seen by the illustration that when the part Bis pulledforward itfirst commences to pivot upon the curved links 0 and theslotted portions Z) begin to slide upon the pivotpins D on each side ofthe frame A, and this guide allows the portion B to move forward untilit is in the proper relative position to the rear portion of the seatand the part which is thus below lies horizontally upon the seat.

This construction maybe employed for any folding bed by making the partB of sufficient length; but when used for a chair or other seat the partB need be onlylong enough for a back, and thenecessary length forabedwill be obtained by an extension.

- The extension-section E is hinged or pivoted to the top of the back Bby links F, so that it maybe unfolded after the back B has been broughtinto a horizontal position and turned outwardly in line with the partB.) G represents legs by which the outer end of the part E is supportedwhen it is extended. When these parts E and B are closed together andthe device is in its form of a sofa or chair, the top, where the parts Eand B are connected, is covered by a cap B, which forms a completefinish of the same character and upholstery as the back of the chair.This cappiece is connected with the part E by a hingelink H, so thatwhen the part E is unfolded and extended into line with the part B thiscap-piece will drop down about the hingelink and will occupy a positionbelow the parts 13 and E, from which it is then suspended, as shown inFig. 4.

The side frames of the back 13 are beveled at the lower end, as shown at15*, forming an elevation which serves as the head ofthe bed when thedevice is opened out as a bed, and the sidesEof the extension portionare hinged in the same plane with the sides B and have the ends beveled,as shownat E,so that when closed in upon the part B the beveled portionsE and LB fit together and the sides E and B lie essentially in the sameplane and so fit that when closed they occupy a minimum of space.

The arms I of the chair are made in halves, as shown, so that whenclosed they form cylindrical rolls; but when it is desired they may beextended transversely by opening them out, so as to present a transverseextension upon either or both sides of the chair. These rolls, which areof considerable size,

are adapted to fold inwardly and narrow the seat of the chair when thedevice is folded up as follows: Each of the rolls has a projectingextension I, which is connected with the side rail A of the chair by apivot-pin J, about which it is turnable. A second pivot-pin K enters aslot L, which has branches L extending to one side thereof. The arm orrail I is turnable about the pivot J when the pin K is in line with theslot L, so that the arm may either be turned inwardly and not projectbeyond the sides of the chair, or it may be turned outwardly when theback is to be folded in and the device extended to form a bed by simplyrotating it upon the pivot-pin J, the slot L sliding upon a pin K toallow of these movements of the arm I. At either point where it isdesired to hold the arm' I the arm is allowed to drop, so that the pin Kslides into either one of the slots L, while the slot through which thepin J passes also slides upon the pin and the two hold the arm in anydesired position.

By this construction I provide an exceedingly convenient andeasily-converted chair or sofa-bed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a combined seat and bed, the permanent seat portion, a backadapted to stand essentially vertical or to fold forward and rest uponthe seat portion, in combination with the curved pivoted rigidconnecting-links by which the seat and back are united at a point abovethe center of the latter, pins fixed in the back of the seat portion andlongitudinal slots formed in the lower part of the back and slidableupon said pins when the back is folded forward upon the seat. I

2. In a combination seat and bed, a stationary seat-frame havingpivot-pins in the rear portion, a back adapted to stand essentiallyvertical with the seat and to fold forward so as to lie horizontallyupon said seat, slots made longitudinally in the lower part of said backand slidable upon the pivot-pins of the seat portion and curved rigidlinks connecting the upper portion of the back with the seat portion infront of the aforesaid pivotpins whereby the back is balanced whenfolded down upon the seat.

3. In a combined seat and bed, a stationary seat-frame, a back connectedtherewith, a slidable pivot and a curved pivoted rigid link connectingthe back and seat-frame whereby the back may be moved from anessentially vertical to an essentially horizontal position with relationto the seat-frame, a folding extension fitting upon the back, hinged tothe upper end thereof and adapted to be turned about said hinge andextended into line with the back when the latter is in its horizontalposition, and a means for supporting the outer end of said extension.

4. In a combined seat and bed, a stationary seat-frame, a back connectedtherewith by separated and balancing points of support about which theback is turnable from an essentially vertical to an essentiallyhorizontal position, an extension hinged to the upper end of the backand folding thereinto when the device is used as a seat, and a cap-piecehinged to said extension fitting over the top of the back portion andforming a finish therefor.

5. In a combined seat and bed, a permanent seat-frame, a back havingseparated pivotal and slidable supports about which it is turnable froman approximately vertical to an approximately horizontal position, anextensionsection hinged to the upper end of the back adapted to beunfolded into line therewith when the parts are in a horizontalposition, a cap-piece, links by which it is hinged to theextension-section so that it fits over and forms a finish for the upperend of the back and the extension-section when the two are in a verticalposition, said cap-piece swinging about the connecting-links so as todrop below and out of the way when the extension is unfolded.

6. A seat-frame, a back supported therefrom by pivoted links having asecond slidable point of support whereby the back is balanced whenturned from a vertical to a horizontal position, an extension hinged tothe upper end of the back and adapted to be opened outside into linetherewith when the parts are unfolded, the sides of said extensionstanding in the same plane with the sides of the back portion havingtheends beveled and fitting when closed into a correspondinglybeveledportion at the bottom of the backframe, said beveled portion of theback-frame forming a head for the bed when the parts are unfolded andextended.

7. In a combined seat and bed having a back with a plurality ofconnections between itself and the seat-frame, about which it isturnable from an approximately vertical to a horizontal position, and anextension foldable upon the back and capable of extending into linetherewith when the back lies upon the seat portion, arms upon each sidebetween which the back swings, said arms having upholstered rollscentrally longitudinally divided, the sections being hinged togetherupon the outer edges and adapted to open outwardly so as to form anextended support transversely.

8. In a combined seat and bed, the combination of the seat portion andthe side rails thereof, the rolls divided from end to end and hinged attheir outer edges so that they may IIO passing through said slots aboutwhich the rolls are turnable so as to fold inwardly or outwardly withrelation to the fixed portions of the seat.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

MARK BRILLIANT.

Vitnesses:

S. H. NoURsn, JESSIE G. BRODIE.

